tamarindtoamchur

Chayote Kurma

R has new found love in kurma and has been requesting me to make it more often. So this time I decided to use chayote and make one instead of my usual dishes made using it. Chayote is loved by south Indians and we also use the skin to make a chutney to go with Idli dosai. Kurma is made with coconut but I decided to skip it and make my own masala .

Need –

Chayote – 1- chopped
Chana Dal – 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Jeera – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 10
Ginger – 1 inch
Dry chilli – 2
Asafoetida – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp substitute with peanuts
Garam masla – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Curd – 2 tbsp
Salt

Process –

Clean , peel and chop the chayote. Microwave it for 4 minutes till soft. In a pan take water and cook it in medium heat.
Meanwhile , dry roast all spices except garam masala till you see it turn brown. Cool and grind into a powder.
Now add the powder to the chayote , salt and garam masala and turmeric. Cook till it integrates. Now add the curd and bring to a boil.
Switch off and serve with rotis.

Rajma Chawal

North & South Indian

Rajma Chawal is a staple for for Punjabi’s and it’s all heart. If you have lived in north, you know a true punjabi will delay anything to have Rajma Chawal even if it is about having it for breakfast. Rajma is red kidney beans which can be had with roti but it has a special charm with rice. It is also served as street food in Delhi (sweet nostalgia) and I am drooling already while typing this.

Those chilli and onions ARE ARE necessary

Need –

Rajma – 3 cups – soaked overnight or longer
Onion – 1 large – chopped
Tomato – 4
Rajma masala – 3 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt
Bay leaf – 2
Jeera – 2 tsp
Cardamon – 2 pieces
Cinnamon – 1 – finger size
Amchur – 1 tsp
Ghee
Water
Ginger – julienne
Coriander leaves – handful

Process –

Soak the rajma at least overnight or one whole day. Drain the water and pressure cook with 5 cups of water till soft. Keep the water
In a pan take ghee, temper jeera , bayleaf, cardamon and cinnamon . Add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell goes.
Meanwhile puree 3 tomatoes and half onion . Chop the remaining half onion and 1 tomato.
Add the chopped item to the ginger garlic paste and sauce till tomatoes go mushy. Now add the puree and all spices. Cook till oil starts leaving and appears on the sides.
Now add the cooked rajma and salt. Bring to a boil. Using a masher or the back of the ladle mash a few rajma to thicken the gravy. If you think it still needs to thicken add some cream or a teaspoon of chickpea flour. Add the julienne ginger and coriander
Serve hot with rice , lemon , chilli and onions.

Masala Veg Toast

Fast Food

This recipe was taught to my by a cousin many years ago. It has somehow stuck on my mind even when I do it years later. Usually instead of eggs , Besan is used but this recipe calls for Malai – cream from milk or curd.

Need –

Bread Slices – As needed
Chopped – Onion , Capsicum, Cabbage , Baby corn , Green chilli
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Amchur – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Rava/Semolina – 2 tbsp
Salt
Cream – 1 tbsp or Curd – 1 tbsp
Ketchup or green chutney
Butter

Process –

Mix vegetables , spices, salt , rava and cream.
Spread ketchup or green chutney on the bread. This is optional
Spread the mix on bread. Add a tsp of oil or a little butter and cook on a pan the spread facing the pan. Butter helps it avoiding sticking to the pan. Once cooked flip and cook the base.

Ulundu Sevai

North & South Indian

Sevai is the Indian noodles or pasta. It is made of rice /rice flour pressed to make noodles and them steamed. It is also called Idiyappam served with stew. South Indian also mix it with tomatoes or lemon to make variations.

Here I mix it with black gram and serve with a stew or kurma .

Need –

Sevai – Instant packeted
Skinless Black gram – 2 handfuls
Dry red chilli – 1 or 2
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 6-7
Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp
Salt
For the Stew – cut veg (Carrot, potatoes, Zucchini , green beans, capsicum)
White and green beans – 1 cup
Coconut milk or Coconut powder – 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Cinnamon -1 inch
Green chilli – 1 thin
Onion – 1 small
Jeera – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 6
Ginger – 1 inch – chopped
Oil
Salt

Process –

Soak the Urad dal and red chilli for about an hour.
Drain and pulse in a mixed. Steam this till cooked either in a pressure cooker or microwave. Cool it and pulse it again
Pour hot water over the sevai and keep aside for 5-10 minutes till it absorbs the water
In a pan take oil , temper mustard , curry leaves and Asafoetida. Add the pulsed urad mix , saute and salt and the sevai and give a mix.
For the Stew , microwave the veg for 3 minutes to cook.
Take little oil , add fennel seeds , onion , green chilli and cinnamon , saute till aromatic. Add grated coconut if using instead of milk or powder, at this stage. Cool and grind it.
In a pan take oil and temper mustard , jeera and curry leaves. Add ginger and the vegetables. Add the powder , salt and the vegetable. Now pour in the coconut milk and little water and cook it till it boils.

Palak Kala Chana

Dal / Gravy

Palak chole is something we usually make . Since I was running out of soaked cholesterols (white chickpea) I used kala chana literally translating to black chickpea. I tend to make palak(spinach) every week- best way to include iron.

Need –

Soaked Kala chana – 4 cups
Palak – 1 bunch
Onion – 1 – small
Tomato – 1 – small
Ginger – 1 inch
Jeera – 1 tsp
Kalonji (onion seeds) – 1 tsp
Green chilli – 2
Garam masala – 2 tsp
Amchur – 1 tsp
Ghee – 2 tsp
Bay leaf – 1
Salt

Process –

Soak the chana overnight. Clean and blanch the spinach
Grind the palak ,tomato , half onion, half the ginger, green chilli.
In a pressure cook take ghee and temper jeera , kalonji, chopped ginger and bayleaf
Add the chopped onions and when cooked add the puree and cook till oil seperates.
Add 1 tsp garam masala, chole and water. Pressure cook for 4 whistles
When pressure subsides open , adjust water , add garam masala , amchur and salt.

Murmura

Snack

Murmura is a healthy quick snack you can have when you are craving food or something unhealthy. We call it the 4PM SNACK. Chai or coffee are wonderful accompaniment or even hot chocolate. You basically combine all healthy non oily things ass spices and gobble it

Need –

Puffed rice – 2 cups
Poha/Flattened rice flakes- 1 cup
Oats – 2 tbsp
Lotus seeds/Fox nuts /Makhna – 2 cups
Roasted peanuts – 1 cup
Roasted gram – 1 cup
Salt
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Chilli powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chat masala – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 10

Process –

In a pan take 1 tbsp ghee , roast the curry leaves ,makhna , poha ,roasted gram , oats and puffed rice and roast till they become crisp. In this stage you can also add cornflakes (I use the cereal ones but you get cornflakes called chivda that can be fried to puff up) You can also choose to add sabudhana the ones that puff up when fried not the regular tapioca pearls.
Now add the remaining ghee , groundnuts and spices and give it a mix till coated.
You may add raisins or other nuts as well.

Millet Dalia Khichdi.

Grains

Khichdi is comfort food of India. The preparation is the same but the additions and flavours vary across. Its ven pongal in south and khichdi in north. It is basically rice and lentil that is so easy on stomach and helps to digest specially when you are down with fever. Broken wheat(dalia) is good for people who like less sugar conversion from food as it takes time to break down and keeps you full for long. While millets have been a primary source of food in many interior parts of India and people have been eating it for ages where rice cannot be grown , it is now making a come back under the famous tag “healthy”. While we enjoy couscous , quinoa and the likes let us also stick to our staple food .

Need –

Millet (Foxtail ) – 1 cup
Dalia / Broken wheat – 1 cup
Yellow moong – 1/2 cup
Chopped – tomato – 1
Chopped – carrot
Ghee – 3 tbsp
Jeera – 2 tsp
Green chilli – 1
Crushed pepper – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Sambar powder / garam masala – 1 tsp
salt
Ginger – chopped – 1 tsp
Water – 5 cups

Process –

In a pan dry roast the millet and dalia and the moong.
Soak the millet and dalia while you prepare the rest.
In a pressure cooker , add 1 tbsp ghee, temper jeera, chilli , ginger and pepper.
Add the chopped tomato and cook till its mushy.
Add the carrot. You may choose to add more vegetable if its for a simple dinner- like peas , cabbage, potato , onion or turnip or even spinach
Now add the dalia and millet + moong. Add salt, turmeric and the masala.
Add the water , give a mix and cook for 4 whistles or till its cooked and mushy.

Bread Upma with masala

Fast Food

South Indians are famous to make puma out of anything they can lay their hands on be it from rava to new age oats to quinoa. Bread upma is a quick snack/lunch/dinner basically anything and everything . I personally have 3 versions of upma. There is always a bread packet lying in my fridge and it comes to rescue those days when I fall short of rotis or those afternoons I hate to cook elaborate lunch for one. I even made R to start loving it from totally hate it.

Need –

Bread – brown /white – torn into pieces
Chopped Onion – 1 small
Chopped Tomato -1 small
Chopped Capsicum – half
Oil
Jeera – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Peanuts – 1 tbsp
Asafoetida
Green chilli – 1 chopped
Salt
Lemon Juice
Chopped coriander – handful

Process –

Unless you are an OCD person you don’t have to necessarily cut cubes. Be happy with torn pieces .
If you like crispy bites , roast the bread pieces in a bit oil or bake it or toast a bread and cut it.
In a pan, take oil. Temper mustard seeds, jeera, peanuts and chilli . Add the onions.
Once they turn translucent add the tomato and capsicum. You can choose to add green peas as well. Add asafoetida.
Once the mix turns mushy , add salt and the bread. Give it a toss.
Once the bread has taken the flavour , remove from fire
Add lemon juice and coriander.

Bread Chutney Pizza

Snack

I do not know any place that makes bread pizza except India. True lovers of original pizza or Italians will absolutely hate this idea but ,we are known to adopt a recipe and make changes as per our taste. So if you have roadside pizzas in India and then have a true Italian Pizza you will have an awakening 🙂 During our everyday chat about “What for dinner” R says he wants bread pizza . I had to make since he is never very specific about what he wants.

See that green goodness ? Hari chutney is life for a mumbaikar

Need-

Bread slice – white / brown
Pizza sauce
Onions -1- sliced
Capsicum – 1 sliced
Tomato – 1 sliced
American Corn – 1 cup
Cheese mix
Green chutney ( coriander + mint+salt + green chilli + lemon juice+garlic)
Dried basil + parsley
Butter

Process –

Take the bread and spread butter on both side.
Spread the sauce on one side and top with the vegetables , dried parsley and basil.
Top with cheese. Take a flat pan and place the filled bread
Close for 5 minutes till the cheese melts.
Remove and drop few dollops of green chutney and serve.
You can top with sev as well.

Cabbage Paratha

Roti / Flatbread

Cabbage is not a vegetable that is loved by many but when prepared in a manner where it incorporates other flavours it is definitely to be enjoyed. Cabbage creates gas hence adding ginger /garlic /carom seeds/hing is necessary. R hates cabbage. So when it is camouflaged he relishes it. But this time I made sure he also eats the cabbage sabzi. So it was everything cabbage for dinner.

Parathas and pickles or chutney is the best combination.

Need –

Cabbage – chopped – 1 small
Wheat flour + Ragi/Bajra flour – 1 1/2 cup
Green chilli – 2 chopped
Coriander – handful – chopped
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Rock Salt
Carom seeds – 1 tbsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Water
Oil/ Ghee

Process –

Chop and wash the cabbage .
In a bowl take the wheat flour mix. Add everything except water.
Mix well and the add water slowly to kneed.
Close and keep aside for 15 minutes. Kneed again
Make small balls and flatten them like rotis using flour dusting.
They usually tend to be a bit thick. Heat a pan and cook on both sides by applying oil or ghee.
Serve with either chutney or pickle or curd.